Before I begin, apologies for posting this a day late (additional apologies for doing so on such a momentous occasion). Now that we're settled, let's get right on to business. Without any further interruption, here are my choices for some of the week's best and/or most memorable moments, for the final time in 2011:
This Week on OCCUPY: With this being the last "End of the Week" post of the year, I figured that it would also be appropriate to put to an end to this weekly segment after two months of appearing here just as regularly as "Person of the Week" or any of the other Big Three segments. Here is a quick list of highlights from the past seven days of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement and its worldwide offsprings:
- In the sixth annual list of the year's top quotations, Yale University named famous 'Occupy' slogan "We Are the 99%!" as its top quote of 2011.All in all, the entire list in general was popularized by people being angry against the country's top 1%, including Warren Buffet's quote about how "My friends and I have been coddled enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress" and Sen. Elizabeth Warren's stern August quote about how nobody makes it rich on their own.
-Speaking of year-end accolation, TIME Magazine also decided to honor the protestors of the 'Occupy' movement by naming "The Protester" as its 2011 Person of the Year. The name's pretty ambiguous and pretty broad, but that's only because TIME is also referring to the uprisings in the Middle East and the austerity protests in Europe along with the "Occupy" protests over here in the States. So while the movement may have been a failure thus far in achieving its many goals, at least its supporters can take comfort in knowing that it's at least put in the same category as people who have actually done something.
- On Friday, :Occupy Wall Street" celebrated its three-month anniversary.
- An Indian 'Occupy' movement is reportedly set to take hold in India, the first of its kind thus far.
- The New York Times has the story of the surprising calmness over at "Occupy Frankfurt." Essentially, it's been two months and there's been hardly any interaction between the "orderly bunch" of protesters and the police, a far cry from what's been seen across this nation.
-Over at website Gawker, they have the exclusive confession of Malcolm Harris, better now known as the guy who spread the rumor that rock band Radiohead was about to play in front of "Occupy Wall Street" back in September. Using the word "jerk" in the title of the article was a pretty nice touch, no?
- Notable protests here in America this week: "Occupy Wall Street" protesters marching downtown to Goldman Sachs building on Monday, and then today's 50 arrests in Manhattan/protests for immigration rights; "Occupy the Tri" in the Detroit area; Saturday's street blockade by at least six members of "Occupy Raleigh"; The rally of supporters over at Barack Obama's Iowa headquarters.
And that's it. If you would like to read each of the weekly recaps of the 'Occupy' movement that I've done since October, just click here. Overall, it has been quite fascinating to watch how this protest which began in this small privately-owned park in Manhattan turned into what was arguably the top story from the United States in 2011. We saw the protests gaining steam in many cities only to be put down by the city weeks later, some good ol' fights with police in areas like Oakland and the UC-Davis, and even a dog being named the leader of one city's Occupy movement. And yet, despite all of that, the protests are still not over (and expected to even go on to 2012), with supporters continuing to rally for their many causes in any way they can.
When will it finally end? Will the protesters goals ever be achieved? Will media interest be as high as it was October and November now that the Presidential race is about to get real? All of those will be answered in the coming weeks and months. But for now I'm just going to sign off from my "This Week on OCCUPY" segment for good, and move on to the next item on the list, which is...
Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week: Last U.S. Troops Leave Iraq, Ending Nine-Year Long War
The end of an era, an era that cost the United States $800 billion and 4500 troop deaths, but also the beginning of a new one, as Iraq prepares for its first non-U.S. political crisis since the start of the war in 2003.
- The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: New York Woman Dies in Freak Elevator Accident
Yeeesh. That is all.
Deal of the Week: The Extension of the Payroll Tax Cut by the Senate
Well, maybe this is something that both Houses of Congress might agree to...oh, God damn it, Boehner!
Video of the Week: "Breaking Bart (Breaking Bad/Simpsons Mashup)"
Thank God the show made that episode with Homer going to a meth labe a few weeks ago, or else at least a quarter of this awesome fan video would not have been possible.
Person of the Week: (Former?) NFL Wide Receiver Sam Hurd
for making quite the late run to be part of my upcoming list of "People of the Year" list for 2011 thanks to the story of him being arrested by Chicago police for alleging trying to become a drug kingpin in the city. According to the report, an undercover police officer arrested Hurd after bringing in the order he requested of 5k-10k of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana from a supplier in North Texas (whom I assume he met in his short time as a Dallas Cowboy). The report also claimed that Hurd was set to purchase the same order weekly so that he could sell these drugs to people all over the Chicagoland area (as if his millions in earnings over the years weren't enough). As a result, the Chicago Bears decided to cut him two days later at the same time he was released on $100,000 bail. So now not only is Hurd in deep trouble with the law, but he's also lost what will most likely be his last job as a football player. So, congratulations, Sam! I hope that these next few years battling the courts will be all that you hoped being in the drug business would bring you.
And that's the way it was! A quick reminder: because of this late post, I've decided on delaying the final "Random Thoughts" of the year for Wednesday, and not for its originally planned Monday start. And since that will be its final installment of 2011, I suggest that you stop by to read it as well. Until then, enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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